Chapter 2108: Between Life and Death
Facing the Stone Emperor's domineering and unparalleled attack, the Ancestral Mother did not retreat, nor could she retreat. She had no choice but to raise her hands to defend herself. A vast and extreme Dark Force surged from within her body, purer and more powerful than what Dragon Fiend Emperor commanded.
Endless darkness descended, attempting to shroud heaven and earth, seeming to devour everything in the world, like the arrival of the apocalypse.
Hundreds of millions of dark secret patterns interwove, constructing a colossal object shaped like a heart, with countless veins extending from its surface, as if using this as a foundation to evolve a terrifying living being.
The three artifacts evolved by the Stone Emperor trembled, letting fall ten thousand strands of Xuanhuang Qi, crushing the celestial dome and forcing the darkness to retreat.
"Boom."
Although the heart evolved by the Ancestral Mother released extremely vast Divine Power, it could not withstand the attack of the three artifacts and was shattered.
But at that moment, the Ancestral Mother released three pitch-black tentacles, carrying the force of ten thousand hectares, which also shattered the three artifacts.
The collision between the two was too intense. The earth for a thousand miles around violently crumbled and sank by several hundred zhang.
One must know that this was on True Dragon Island, where the suppression of Heaven and Earth Rules was extremely strong. The battles of ordinary people could hardly cause much destruction.
If this were outside, such a terrifying collision would likely truly cause the sky to collapse and the earth to split, with stars beyond the domain falling from the sky.
The Stone Emperor's gaze was indifferent. A flash of light appeared on his brow, and a Xuanhuang-colored Saint Spear flew out. The spear's body was covered with countless patterns, like dragon scales, giving the impression of a divine dragon at first glance.
This was a genuine Monarch Sacred Artifact, nurtured from the Stone Emperor's original body, as one with the Stone Emperor. The spear's tip was sharp and exposed, capable of splitting the sky.
With the Xuanhuang Saint Spear in hand, the Stone Emperor charged forward without hesitation, executing a domineering and unparalleled spear technique. Countless sharp spear shadows appeared in the void, enveloping the Ancestral Mother's true body.
"Wah wah."
From within the darkness, piercing cries sounded. Vast Spiritual Power surged forth, sweeping toward the Stone Emperor like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the entire heaven and earth turned dark red. The sky split open, and countless divine and demonic corpses fell, piling up into mountains on the ground. The blood of gods and demons gathered into lakes and seas, and faint roars of countless gods and demons could be heard, shaking the heart.
These scenes were all illusions, but they gave an extremely real feeling, as if one had arrived in the most chaotic Dark Age.
Clearly, the Ancestral Mother was well aware of the Stone Emperor's weakness and wanted to use Spiritual Power attacks to make his intelligence even more chaotic.
But what she did not know was that the Stone Emperor had now undergone a complete transformation. His intelligence was pure, and his Spiritual Will was as firm as a rock. Such methods were completely useless.
"Hum."
The Xuanhuang Saint Spear vibrated, and the terrifying illusions reflecting heaven and earth immediately shattered.
Seeing the Stone Emperor approaching, a dark golden Saint Shield appeared, radiating holy light all over, revealing a colorful and splendid starry sky. Countless stars revolved within, releasing vast Star Power.
The stars, arranged in a profound formation, evolved into a vast space, instantly trapping the Stone Emperor inside.
The next moment, the endless starlight became blazing, turning into fierce Star Fire, engulfing the Stone Emperor.
"A top-grade Monarch Sacred Artifact, such powerful might." Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with strange light.
Monarch Sacred Artifacts were exclusive Sacred Artifacts for Great Saint realm powerhouses. Only in the hands of a Great Saint realm powerhouse could their true power be unleashed.
For a terrifying powerhouse like the Ancestral Mother to activate a Monarch Sacred Artifact was far more powerful than the most top-tier Saint King activating a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
No matter how powerful a Sacred Artifact, or even a Divine Artifact, one needed sufficient strength to activate it. Otherwise, it could only provide an advantage in battles of the same level.
Trapped in that strange starry sky and refined by Star Fire, the Stone Emperor showed no sign of panic. A vast amount of Xuanhuang Qi surged from within his body, gathering on the Xuanhuang Saint Spear.
"Break."
With a loud shout from the Stone Emperor, the Xuanhuang Saint Spear emitted a world-shaking sharpness.
"Boom."
Countless stars were destroyed in an instant. The starry sky was torn apart, unable to trap the Stone Emperor.
"Ancestral Mother, offer your life."
The Stone Emperor growled, swinging the Xuanhuang Saint Spear while forming mysterious hand seals.
A fierce battle erupted. The Stone Emperor, like an invincible War God, bravely attacked the Ancestral Mother.
In the blink of an eye, the Stone Emperor and the Ancestral Mother had already fought hundreds of rounds. The area for thousands of miles was shattered, yet no victor had emerged.
Even with part of his power dissolved by the God-Defying Stele, he could still fight at the peak against the Ancestral Mother, showing just how powerful the Stone Emperor was—the undisputed strongest among the five overlords.
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes and said, "As expected of a heart transformed from a Hell Realm god, it's indeed troublesome. Let's join forces and finish it off quickly."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen had already activated the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, activating it together with Dragon Fiend Emperor.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror quickly revived, releasing streams of powerful Supreme Power, striking at the Ancestral Mother.
Although the Ancestral Mother was focused on fighting the Stone Emperor, she was also watching the movements of Sword Emperor and Dragon Fiend Emperor. Sensing the threat, she immediately activated the Saint Shield.
"Bang."
The starry sky evolved by the Saint Shield was instantly shattered by the Supreme Power, and the shield itself was sent flying.
Combining the power of Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend Emperor to activate a Supreme Sacred Artifact naturally produced extremely powerful might, enough to threaten the Ancestral Mother.
"Sword Emperor, are you still hesitating? Once the Ancestral Mother joins forces with Hell Realm, it will be a great calamity." Zhang Ruochen shouted loudly.
To kill the Ancestral Mother quickly, Sword Emperor's power was greatly needed.
Sword Emperor's mind churned, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. His expression changed continuously.
After a moment, Sword Emperor's gaze became firm. A sharp Sword Intent burst from his body. "Fine, let's join forces to eliminate the calamity and truly end the divine war of the past."
Having made his decision, Sword Emperor no longer hesitated. He immediately swung the Sacred Sword in his hand, joining the battle and besieging the Ancestral Mother together with the Stone Emperor.
The Ancestral Mother was indeed very strong, but facing the siege of two powerhouses of the same level, she still could not withstand it.
In just a few dozen moves, the Ancestral Mother fell into a disadvantage, forced to defend passively.
Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend Emperor activated the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, completely blocking the Ancestral Mother's retreat, launching attacks from time to time to interfere with her.
It did not take long for the cooperation between the Stone Emperor and Sword Emperor to become quite tacit, completely suppressing the Ancestral Mother.
"Bang."
The Stone Emperor's spear sent the Saint Shield flying. Sword Emperor struck at the right moment, unleashing thousands of sword energies. Not only did he cut off many of the Ancestral Mother's tentacles, but he also broke through the dense Dark Force.
When the darkness dissipated, Zhang Ruochen finally saw the Ancestral Mother's true form—a dark red heart, covered with dark divine patterns, with many tentacles extending from it.
This was a Divine Heart, cut out for a long time, yet not withered. Instead, it had turned into a terrifying monster.
"Blaspheming the gods, you will all die."
At that moment, a hoarse and dry voice came from within the Divine Heart.
"Whoosh."
The eighteen most fundamental tentacles extended simultaneously, attacking the Stone Emperor and Sword Emperor.
At the same time, the eerie and strange children protected by the Ancestral Mother all exploded, turning into clouds of blood mist, all merging into the Ancestral Mother's true body.
After devouring so much Blood Qi, the Ancestral Mother's true body rapidly expanded, reaching a diameter of several thousand zhang, like a small star.
Vast Dark Force surged from the Divine Heart, condensing into an extremely tall figure, as if about to burst through heaven and earth.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and the others all felt a terrifying Divine Might, pressing down from all directions, as if a true god had descended.
Needless to say, the Ancestral Mother was now displaying the Divine Might of that Hell Realm god from the past, and had condensed a divine shadow.
Facing the tall divine shadow, the Stone Emperor said coldly, "A mere Divine Heart dares to arrogantly call itself a god? Watch this emperor shatter your true body to pieces."
Before the words faded, the Stone Emperor had already struck forcefully, condensing Xuanhuang Force, unleashing four supreme Yang fist seals, while simultaneously swinging the Xuanhuang Saint Spear, slashing down at the Ancestral Mother's head.
Sword Emperor said nothing, but was also executing an extremely exquisite sword technique, his Sword Intent connecting heaven and earth.
"Now is the time." A gleam of light suddenly flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Dragon Fiend Emperor performed a Space Displacement, bringing Zhang Ruochen abruptly behind the Ancestral Mother.
Zhang Ruochen did not hesitate. He flipped his hand and took out the God-Defying Stele, then mobilized his own Sacred Dao Rules, injecting them into the ancient characters.
As soon as the God-Defying Stele appeared, both the Divine Might and the Dark Force rapidly dissipated into nothingness.
Instantly, the divine shadow became very unstable, showing signs of collapse.
Before the Ancestral Mother could react, Zhang Ruochen had already put away the God-Defying Stele. Instead, he and Dragon Fiend Emperor activated the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, striking at the Ancestral Mother.
Because if he continued to activate the God-Defying Stele, the attacks of the Stone Emperor and Sword Emperor would also be dissipated into nothingness.
Moreover, with Sword Emperor present, Zhang Ruochen did not intend to expose the God-Defying Stele.
He had used the God-Defying Stele behind the Ancestral Mother for only an instant, without causing much commotion. Since Sword Emperor's attention was focused on the Ancestral Mother, he did not notice.
With such a sudden change, the Ancestral Mother immediately encountered great trouble, hit by many terrifying attacks.
"Boom."
The divine shadow instantly collapsed, and the Divine Might dissipated.
The Supreme Power from the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror and the peerless sword light from Sword Emperor all struck the Ancestral Mother's true body.
The Xuanhuang Saint Spear in the Stone Emperor's hand was even more terrifying. It broke through the barrier of the dark divine patterns and pierced the Ancestral Mother's true body.
"Pfft."
Dark red divine blood shot out, each drop containing terrifying power, capable of eroding everything.
"Roar."
Bathing in divine blood, the Stone Emperor could not help but roar to the sky.
Only he, with his Xuanhuang Stone Body, could be unafraid of divine blood erosion.
The Stone Emperor mobilized even stronger Xuanhuang Force, transmitting it through the Xuanhuang Saint Spear into the Ancestral Mother's true body. Thousands of Xuanhuang Forces, like streams, like a group of dragons, surged from the spear tip, intertwining together, as if to support a Xuanhuang World inside the Ancestral Mother's body.
This was a kind of offensive power from the inside out.
Instantly, the Ancestral Mother's true body expanded again. Many cracks were forced open on the surface, with divine blood gushing out.
Just as the Stone Emperor was about to gather his strength and shatter the Ancestral Mother's true body, a powerful force suddenly erupted, sending him flying backward.
"Not good... The Ancestral Mother is about to fight to the death. Danger."
A warning sign arose in Zhang Ruochen's heart. He quickly withdrew the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror to protect himself.
Without needing him to speak, Dragon Fiend Emperor was already retreating at extreme speed. He too felt a great threat.
"Thump, thump."
The Divine Heart vibrated, its sound like a great bell.
Blood Qi as vast as an ocean spread from the Divine Heart, carrying unmatched Divine Might, sweeping across all directions, unstoppable.
Even more terrifying, a terrifying Spiritual Will burst forth from the Divine Heart, truly causing heaven and earth to change color, with thunder and lightning.
"Divine Might cannot be offended. You must pay for this with your lives." The Ancestral Mother roared, her fierce might overwhelming.
Both the Stone Emperor and Sword Emperor changed color, truly feeling a great threat.
No one had expected that within the Ancestral Mother's body, there still remained the terrifying Spiritual Will of that Hell Realm god, and that the Ancestral Mother could release it.
Undoubtedly, this was the Ancestral Mother's final and strongest trump card. Such a powerful Spiritual Will was likely something even the Ancestral Mother herself could barely withstand.
"Bang."
The Stone Emperor was closest to the Ancestral Mother, bearing the brunt of the attack, and was sent flying.
His body was unharmed, but his Saint Soul suffered a great impact. If he had not just refined six divine wills, he would likely have been in grave danger.
Next, Sword Emperor also suffered a terrifying attack. The Monarch Sacred Artifact-level Sacred Sword in his hand was directly shattered into pieces.
"Boom."
Sword Emperor could not withstand this force, and his body instantly exploded.
It was not that they were not strong enough, but that the Ancestral Mother's trump card was too terrifying, as if that Hell Realm god from the past had revived at this moment.
Even a Monarch Sacred Artifact was shattered, and a Great Saint's body was torn apart.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen felt a chill run down his spine, his whole body cold. Because his physical body was definitely inferior to a Monarch Sacred Artifact, and even more inferior to Sword Emperor. In the critical moment, he once again took out the God-Defying Stele.
"Boom."
The God-Defying Stele, like a shield, blocked in front of Zhang Ruochen.
Even so, residual force still penetrated through the God-Defying Stele, shaking Zhang Ruochen until his whole body was a bloody mess. He almost could not hold on and fell into a pool of blood.
After about a quarter of an hour of confrontation, the vast Blood Qi released by the Ancestral Mother was finally suppressed by the God-Defying Stele. Although it still surged, it could not reach the true bodies of Zhang Ruochen and Dragon Fiend Emperor.
The Spiritual Will of the Hell Realm god was also suppressed, but the effect was not obvious.
The reason was that Zhang Ruochen's own strength was not yet strong enough. He could be invincible across the Saint King realm, but compared to Great Saints, or even gods, there was still a gap of eighty thousand miles.
Even with the God-Defying Stele in hand, he could not crush the Spiritual Will of a god.
"Roar."
Dragon Fiend let out a painful roar.
Facing the impact of this divine Spiritual Will, even his tenacious Saint Soul showed signs of cracking.
Zhang Ruochen's Saint Soul was also impacted, his face turning very pale.
"Hum."
At that moment, a divine light suddenly flew out from within Zhang Ruochen's body, blocking the vast and profound divine Spiritual Will.
The next moment, the divine light faded, revealing an unadorned wooden staff. It was the Divine Envoy Staff bestowed by the Moon God.
If this were outside, as long as it was attacked by power above the Great Saint level, the Divine Envoy Staff would be activated. Zhang Ruochen, wielding it, could borrow part of the Moon God's Divine Power.
But being in Kunlun Realm, the Divine Envoy Staff had lost its function. It could only be used to communicate with the Moon God, but could not borrow Divine Power. Attacks from Great Saints could not activate it either.
But now, impacted by the Spiritual Will of the Hell Realm god, the Spiritual Will of the Moon God and the Tree God hidden within the Divine Envoy Staff was triggered, causing the Divine Envoy Staff to fly out on its own.
And sensing the Spiritual Will of the Moon God and the Tree God, the Spiritual Will of the Hell Realm god was also stirred. It abandoned the Stone Emperor and Sword Emperor and surged all at once toward the Divine Envoy Staff.
In the blink of an eye, all the Spiritual Will of the Hell Realm god entered the Divine Envoy Staff.
For a time, the Divine Envoy Staff vibrated violently, flickering between light and dark. Clearly, the Spiritual Wills of the three gods were clashing.
Fortunately, the Divine Envoy Staff was refined from the branches of the Tree God, containing powerful divine power, immortal and indestructible. Otherwise, it would certainly have been destroyed.
Zhang Ruochen's expression became grave. He had not expected such a sudden change.
"I hope that the will of the Moon God and the Tree God within the staff can suppress the will of the Hell Realm god. Otherwise, it will be a great disaster." Zhang Ruochen said solemnly.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the Ancestral Mother. After releasing the vast Blood Qi and divine Spiritual Will, the Ancestral Mother was like a deflated ball, her true body already shriveled.
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly, striking out with the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, and said, "Suppress me."
The Ancestral Mother herself had also been impacted by the divine Spiritual Will—a power she could not control. Hence, she was now severely wounded. Coupled with the Blood Qi being suppressed by the God-Defying Stele, how could she resist?
The mirror surface of the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror emitted a faint light, like a huge black hole, instantly sucking the Ancestral Mother's true body inside.
In any case, first suppress the Ancestral Mother's true body. This could eliminate many hidden dangers and prevent any further mutations.